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1. Field of the Invention
The apparatus of the present invention relates to personal hygienic device connectable to a conventional water system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved device which incorporates an electronics for use with one hand by way of membrane protected push buttons on the handle and an electronic module for facilitating the various operations.
2. General Background of the Invention
The Bathroom Baton is neither a bidet nor a sitz bath in that its primary use is to wash away fecal matter from the body by means of a pressurized spraying of water; although, a secondary use to rinse female genitalia can readily be accomplished. Whereas bidets are expressly designed to rinse female genitalia and are not, in any manner, designed to contend with fecal matter. On the other hand, unlike the Bathroom Baton which is an active device that uses a spray of water under pressure to clean and soothe the body, sitz baths are passive devices that, although expressly designed to immerse and wash the anal and genital areas of the human body, can not deal with fecal matter without touching those areas with either fingers or cloth, whereas when using the baton, only sprayed water need touch the recipient.
The advantages of bidet bathroom fixtures and sitz baths are well recognized in the art of therapeutic hygienic cleaning. Generally, bidet fixtures are mounted separately from toilet bathroom fixtures and require separate plumbing for proper operation. The disadvantage of such a separate fixture is that it necessarily occupies a space in an often limited confines of a modern bathroom and, in many cases, becomes cost prohibitive. To solve the problem, numerous patents have been issued for attachments for water closets which could serve as bidet, or personal cleaning devices, or which can be doubled as a sitz bath, when necessary.
Some of these devices disclose the use of hand-held shower heads mounted on a handle which also carries an actuating control valve. Others suggest the use of a showerhead with a rigid handle which is connected to a conventional faucet to allow delivery of water to the showerhead and facilitate personal cleansing of a person seated on a toilet. Still others suggest the use of specially adapted toilet seats to accommodate a showerhead with a nozzle that is supported under the toilet seat to direct the water upward. However, none of the above mentioned devices provides for the use of a hygienic device that can be also used to facilitate clearing of drainage clogs or a device that can be used during diaper changes of a baby. Furthermore, none of these other devices is capable of delivering a non-invasive enema or colonic
On Feb. 24, 1998, the inventor was granted U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,055, entitled xe2x80x9cCleaning and Hygienic Devicexe2x80x9d,which improved prior art devices in this field. The inventor then filed an improved version of the cleaning device which comprises an elongated flexible tubing, one end of which is adapted for connection to a source of water supply. A fluid control valve is secured to one end of the tubing to regulate the flow of water through the tubing. A rigid hollow handle is secured to an outlet of the flow control valve, the handle carrying a vented spray nozzle at its free end, with the spray nozzle provided with a plurality of openings. A connecting member retains the spray nozzle at an acute angle in relationship to a longitudinal axis of the handle so as to direct a flow of water exiting through the openings upwardly when the cleaning device is in use. The handle is long enough to extend from an outside confines of a toilet bowl to a location immediately above the toilet bowl. When the device is in use, the control valve appears on the outside of the toilet bowl, in front of the user seated on the toilet bowl. This improved version also taught alternative embodiments.
The present invention is again an improved version of the two devices which were patented by the present inventor and again improves the device a great deal by teaching an easy to use, one hand controlled, electronic device. What is provided is an improved Bathroom Baton apparatus which includes an electronic package designed for a one-handed operation of the water supply mechanism utilizing a membrane protective push buttons, situated on the handle, and including an electronic module which houses battery operated solenoid valves, and electronics to facilitate the operation of the solenoid valves and battery module, in order to supply the energy to operate the components in the housing. The housing would be remotely installed at the outlet of the water supply valve which supplies water to the toilet to which the baton is connected.
Therefore, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide an electronic version for the Bathroom Baton which allows for a one-handed operation of the water supply mechanism of the baton, in order to operate the baton;
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electronic Bathroom Baton which no longer utilizes manual control valves which require two-handed operation, but where it is electronic in its operation and is powered by a battery module in order to operate the apparatus;
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electronic Bathroom Baton which has a multiple flow function, and a safe function when the baton is not in use so that the electronics controlling the operation of the baton are not energized while the baton is in the safe mode;
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electron Bathroom Baton with multiple modes so that the baton may go from the safe mode to the low flow mode then to the high flow mode and can return to the low flow mode and the safe mode, during use of the baton due to the electronics within the baton.